Ramiz Raja: “They lost a tremendous opportunity to win the Test series in England”

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Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has admitted that he was gutted to see the national team fail to capitalise on the opportunity to make history in England.

Pakistan had the chance to win their first Test series in England since 1996, but their disappointing performance in the second Test at Headingley saw them lose by an innings and 55 runs, which ended the series as a 1-1 draw.

Pakistan had shown encouraging signs in the first Test at Lord’s, where they triumphed by nine wickets. However, their less than impressive performance at Headingley left many gutted, including Raja.

“If Pakistan [had] got a draw, it would have been a big achievement as they lost a tremendous opportunity to win the Test series in England,” he was quoted as saying by the Business Recorder.

Raja also admitted that if Pakistan’s young Test team continue to put up similar performances, there run the risk of it becoming a habit.

“It is a young team and a work in progress, it should understand that if they give up easily without putting up a fight, it will become a habit,” he said. “The youngsters should understand that this is Test cricket, where you have to win sessions and need to do stuff that is not into your system, for the pride of your country and yourselves.

“The team should understand that the Pakistani nation loves this game and make a commitment that they will not repeat the performance in the future.”